An Eternity To Find
by a pensive wraith
Summary: A forgotten face of a forgotten time. When the past finds Setsuna, will she be able to face her own faults?
1. Chapter 1

_This should probably go without saying but credit is due where credit is earned. I do not own the vast majority of characters in, around, and within the universe that Takeuchi Naoko-san has created. I do however, lay claim to any characters that I introduce within the story (provided that I continue to write more than this chapter). This being said, I hope you enjoy the first (and hopefully not last) installment._

**In The Distance**

Footsteps echoed in the air as she navigated through the dense fog. Passing a border of white marble pillars, she knew she was fast approaching her destination. As if appearing from thin air, an ornate wooden gate slowly became visible through the mist. The silhouette of a person standing in front of the gate rapidly faded into visibility. A voice called out to her.

"It's been quite a while since you've visited me here, Small Lady." The guardian of the gate loosened her hold on her staff. She smiled.

The princess walked towards the voice, bringing the guardian into view. "I see you all the time when you aren't working. Puu, aren't you sick of me?"

Pluto shifted her position, allowing the staff to disappear into the ether. She leaned her shoulder against one of the marble pillars framing the time gate. "I can't imagine why I would tire of my dearest friend." She playful pouted and winked. "Time is quick to linger here. Company is always welcome when I am here at the gates."

"Sure Puu." Chibi-Usa rolled her eyes earning a smile from the guardian. "Well, anyway, I just wanted to see how you were doing. It looks like nothing's changed since my last visit."

"Nothing is always a good sign that things are normal."

"Isn't that boring though?"

"Normal doesn't necessarily mean boring. Sometimes a lot of work is involved in keeping things 'normal'."

The teenager raised an eyebrow. "So that means that you're normally busy?"

"I'm busy enough."

"With what?"

"One day you'll come to fully understand my duties here at the gates."

"Sure Puu." Chibi-Usa rolled her eyes again.

The guardian and the princess began laughing at their absurd conversation but silence quickly fell over the gates. The princess had noticed that her guardian had abruptly stopped laughing and was staring off in the distance.

"Nani yo?" Chibi-Usa questioned her friend.

Pluto stood up and took a few steps away from the gates. "Someone is watching."

"Huh? I didn't hear yo..."

"Diana! I need you to escort Chibi-Usa back to the palace!" The guardian's tone of urgency alerted the youth. There were very few times where Chibi-Usa saw her friend anxious while at the Gates. Something was very wrong.

Chibi-Usa franticly scanned the premises, searching for any sign of unrest. Unable find anything out of place, she glanced at the guardian. "Puu, is someone there?"

Pluto remained still, eyes locked on something beyond the mists surrounding the gates. Her time staff materialized in herright hand as she silently stepped in front of the princess. "I am not certain what it is. Please stay behind me, Small Lady."

"But." Chibi-Usa crossed her arms and pouted. "I'm sixteen, remember? I'm old enough to help you! Just let me henshin." Grasping the folds of her dress, she pulled out her henshin wand and raised it towards the sky. "Ooooh, do you think it could it be a youma?"

The guardian half turned to bring the princess into her peripheral vision. "Something's amiss. If it is a youma, it would have attacked by now." Using her free hand, Pluto grabbed hold the princess' outstretched arm, stalling the princess' attempt to transform. "Small Lady, hold on. It could just be waiting for us to make a move. You would be vulnerable to attack while transforming."

Gingerly retracting her arm, Chibi-Usa sheepishly grinned. "Gomen-nasai. I just wanted... to... help... Look!" She stepped to the side of Pluto and pointed to a glimmer of light in the distance. "It might be Diana."

Pluto cautiously turned towards the suspicious flickering in the distance. "I don't hear her collar's bell."

"But light travels faster than sound. It has to be Diana's..."

Pluto dashed in front of her princess, dropping her staff and pushing the princess to the ground.

"Puu! What was that for?" Chibi-Usa complained from her ungraceful position on the time portal's tiled floor. She sprung up behind her guardian, brushing herself off. "What did I do?" She crossed her arms demanding an answer.

"I am sorry Small Lady. It was what I thought." Pluto again half turned to bring the princess into her peripheral vision. She stretched out her right arm, presenting her hand. Clutched between her fingers was an ornate knife.

Chibi-Usa gasped at the realization that a weapon had been thrown at her. Was someone trying to assassinate her? She carefully grabbed hold of knife's handle, taking the weapon from Pluto. Noticing red stains on the blade, she looked towards her guardian. "Puu, you cut your hand."

Pluto continued to focus on the area that the weapon had been thrown. "Don't worry. The cut was not deep." Oblivious to her wound, she retrieved her staff from the ground. Again she scanned the mists for the intruder. "Your safety is of more importance at this moment."

"But..." A flash of blinding light silenced the youth. A bell from a collar echoed through the mists.

"Konnichi-wa, Pluto-sama. What is happening?"

"I do not know for certain. Please get the princess to safety. This intruder has already proven to be hostile."

Chibi-Usa looked on top of her guardian's shoulder surprised to see that the pink kitten had materialized there. "Diana!" she called out just as the kitten leapt to the floor.

The kitten padded towards Chibi-Usa and bowed. "My princess, we must leave."

"But, I can help."

Pluto once again half turned to bring the princess into her peripheral vision. "Please, Small Lady. I must take care of this. It is my duty."

Chibi-Usa sighed in resignation. "Okay, but be careful."

Pluto smiled at her friend's concern. "I'll see you after my shift. We'll go for some ice cream?"

The princess placed her free hand on her guardian's shoulder. "Fine then. No more green tea ice cream for you, though. Please be safe, Puu... Ja ne." The kitten and princess carefully walked away from the gates disappearing into the fog. The echo from a bell faded in the distance.

After passing one of the ornate marble pillars bordering the time portal, Chibi-Usa promptly hid herself from the view of the gates. She slyly peeked from pillar, observing her Puu.

The kitten was visibly disappointed with her princess. Quietly creeping towards the eaves dropper, she loudly whispered, "Princess! This is no time to be spying Pluto-sama. The intruder might find us!" Chibi-Usa picked up Diana from the floor, tightly cradling the kitten with one arm. "Please put me down so we can teleport out-mfffphhmm. MMMPPHMHH!" The princess grinned evilly as she adjusted her hand over the kitten's mouth.

"Shush Diana. We can't stay hidden if you keep on talking. I'm not going to leave Puu if I can help her out."

"Mmmmphhm. MMMHHHH!"

"So you're saying we should stay and keep an eye out for Puu? That's a great idea, Diana."

"Mooookaaay... Mooooo mmmiiiinnn!"

"Good kitty. I knew you'd agree with me. Now, shush. Let's watch." Chibi-Usa felt a sigh on her mouth-covering hand.

The two peered around the pillar and through the mists. The situation had not changed. The guardian was still searching the premises, poised for action.

Pluto squinted in an attempt to find any miniscule clue of the trespasser's whereabouts. It shouldn't take this long to get a bead on the intruder. 'It' was good at hiding. The guardian adjusted her grip on the moist surface of her staff. Only then did she notice the red stain of blood dripping down her staff.

"It is disappointing to see you. Blood should not have been shed with such a menial task."

Pluto pointed her staff towards the unknown voice. The Garnet Orb on top of her staff began to glow. "Dead Scr..."

"No need for that just yet. I have yet to talk to you face to face," the voice interrupted. The guardian halted her attack letting the purple glow of her staff fade. She suspiciously arched an eyebrow. The intruder wanted to talk?

"Show yourself then," the Guardian of the Gates of Time shouted authoritatively.

From the mists, the sound of footsteps approached the Gates. Pluto shifted her position, readying herself for a surprise attack. The blood dripping down her staff began trickling to the tiled floor.

A silhouette appeared in the distance. Pluto raised her staff towards the obscured figure. "Any unauthorized person will be eliminated."

Slowly, the form faded into a man. "Then so be it. But how good is a soldier who can't catch her own knife?"

Behind the pillar, Chibi-Usa placed Diana on the floor. Realizing that she had taken the knife with her, she retrieved it from the folds of her dress. The kitten hopped onto the princess' shoulder and the two examined the handle of the knife; Engraved in the center of its handle was the sigil of Pluto.

Reviews help the author write. Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

_The reviews were a great motivation for me to continue writing. Considering that this is my first story, I was quite anxious to know if people would be interested in reading my fiction. I am very thankful for the reviews I have received. It has taken a long while to complete the second chapter because: A. of my laziness B. of major writer's block and C. the summer vacation keeping me away from my computer. Sorry for the very long wait. Now, onward to the second installment!_

**Remembering**

"C'mon Puu! Tell me a story." The pink haired teenager batted her eyebrows in an attempt to win her guardian over with a puppy dog look. "It's been a very long time since you've told me one of your stories."

Pluto sighed. "You only needed to ask me. A little too old for shameless begging, aren't we?"

"Well, it's fun to see how you'd react." The princess grinned widely and struck a confident pose with one arm pointing towards the sky. "It's one of my hobbies. Make Puu's life interesting by being as unpredictable as prin-cess-silly possible!"

At such an absurd scene the princess had put herself into, Pluto couldn't help but giggle. Small Lady went to great lengths to make the usually stoic Time Guardian laugh. Pluto would have commended Small Lady on her perfect Sailor Moon pose – which she could tell was probably well practiced in front of a mirror – but the giggling had overtaken her. The princess' bubbly company definitely brightened the usual drab environment of the Time Portal.

After composing herself, which took a fair amount of time, the guardian held her hand out into the mists of the time portal. The Time Staff slowly appeared with a soft velvet glow in her hand. Pointing the staff towards Chibi-Usa, the Garnet Orb began to glow bright red before disappearing into falling fairy dust. The air between the two had cleared and was replaced with a thin plate of translucent liquid. Pluto touched the liquid with one finger causing the wafer thin plate to ripple. "This time, I'll give you a few pictures to accompany the story," she said with her usual half smile.

The teenager stood in awe at the display her guardian had showed her. "H-Hai," she sheepishly answered.

"Okay then. Where should I begin?" The liquid began to turn an opaque white color as it continued to ripple. "In a time almost forgotten. In a time of great warriors…"

_A woman no older than the princess slowly faded into view. On inspection, the woman was wearing black sweat pants with a matching black tank top. Her long dark hair was neatly gathered into one long braid, exposing her body's curves and her tanned skin. She twirled a bow staff in front of her with lightning speed._

"_You're being too flashy again. Spin that thing faster and you might break it," a male voice beyond view warned._

_The surrounding environment began to appear: polished wooden planks of the ground, white clay walls with rice paper doors, and racks of weapons alongside the corners of the rectangular room. Finally, an archer's target appeared on the far side of the room. The woman continued to twirl her staff._

"_I'm just trying to relax. Tomorrow is a big day." The small sound of a crack could be heard from the staff._

"_Applying for a position in the Elite Royal Guard is very risky. Are you sure you want to go through with it?" The owner of the voice continued to remain out of view._

"_Did I say anything when the prince decided to apply for a position in the Elite Guard?"_

"_Uh, no but…" The staff audibly cracked again._

"_Mother and father aren't happy about it either. They tried to stop me." _

"_So, I take it that the years of nagging finally worked?"_

"_That and I bet father that I'd beat him in a one on one fight. I even gave him a staff to use." The woman began to twirl the staff around her body._

"_Poor father. I guess that's what he gets for not realizing his daughter practices almost everyday. Anyway, I put in a few words with them saying that I'd take care of you."_

"_Arigatou. Every bit helps."_

"_Well, good luck tomorrow and um… Don't be too hard on them. It's only an entrance test. We'll need our guys uninjured." The voice left the room._

_The woman stopped spinning the staff and snapped it into two pieces with the use of her knee. "I'll keep that in mind, Onii-san." Her dark eyes narrowed to slits as she threw both pieces at the target. With a loud thud, the pieces hit the second circle simultaneously, landing precisely on either side of the bull's-eye. She then quickly spun around sweeping her hair behind; the sheath of a knife was revealed sitting on the center-back of her belt loop. With practiced fluidity, she pulled the knife out mid spin, completed the rotation, and threw it at the target. With another thud, the knife landed dead center on the bull's-eye. The woman smiled as she walked out of the room._

The images in the liquid faded as the ripples dissipated. Oddly, the image of the knife in the target lingered a few moments after everything else had faded; the sigil in the center of the handle was last to fade away.

"What happened next? Did she pass?" Chibi-Usa looked at her guardian intently.

A small smile crept across Pluto's features. "That is for another day."

"Awww, c'mon. We didn't even get to anything interesting."

"Don't you have studies to attend to?" Pluto waved her hand through the liquid plate causing it shatter into droplets and fall to the floor. "I promise that you'll know more about this story later."

"You sure?"

The guardian looked at her princess her trademark pensive smile. "I'll stake my life on it."

………………………

"But how good is a soldier who can't catch her own knife?"

Behind the marble pillar, shrouded by the mists, the kitten and her princess stared at the knife dumbfounded. Both recognized it as something familiar. Both couldn't believe the knife actually existed.

Diana was lost in her thoughts. _Mother had showed me a picture of this in a book. It was supposedly owned by the two top ranking soldiers of Pluto's Elite Royal Guard. I thought all relics from the Moon Kingdom had been destroyed the day of Queen Beryl's attack. This is very peculiar. I'll have to talk to mother and father about this. _Quickly snapping out of her reverie, Diana noticed the princess staring blankly at the knife. It was not a good time to be spacing out with the intruder close to them. She nudged the princess' head with her paw. "Princess. Princess? Daijobu? Princess?"

Chibi-Usa recalled the images in the pool of liquid. _The woman in Puu's story had a knife like this. Does that mean that Puu was the woman? What is going on here? Shush Diana, I'm thinking!_ Unfortunately, the kitten's words had snapped the princess' train of thought. Chibi-Usa slowly regained her senses and surroundings. "Huh? Oh… I guess I drifted."

The kitten dropped off the princess' shoulder and eyed the weapon from the ground. "What are we to do with this knife?"

"Um... I don't really know. We can't just leave Puu alone." The princess shoved the knife back into the folds of her dress. "We'll worry about it later, okay?"

"Agreed. I do not like how things are going."

The princess picked the kitten off of the floor and stood up. The two resumed their position monitoring Pluto. "See! It was a good idea that we didn't leave."

Diana adjusted her position in Chibi-Usa's arms, sitting herself in a dignified manor. "Princess?"

"Hai?"

"It is unbecoming of royalty to rub things in."

"Shush Dia…"

"Quiet Princess. You do not want them to find us." The kitten grinned.

"Hummmphh." The princess pouted as she adjusted the kitten and herself into a better observing position.

"Hisashiburi." The man leisurely ran a hand through his dark green hair. "Maybe it's been a little too long."

Continuing to hold a defensive pose, Pluto answered the man dressed in a black uniform. "What is your business here? Who are you? What about the kni…"

The man tilted his head and arched an eyebrow. "My, my. You are full of questions. Still very straight forward with things, I see."

"My orders are as such that any intruder is to be eliminated." Pluto adjusted her injured hand on the blood soaked staff, attempting to gain a better grip. "You are intruding."

"Then you do not recognize me." The man slowly began walking towards Pluto. "I see that Time has done a good job of sealing your memories."

"Time has done nothing to me." Pluto moved the staff into attack position. "Halt! Do not come any closer or I will have to…"

"How are you to know if Time has influenced you?" The man interrupted. The clicking of his footsteps echoed through the Time Portal. "How fortunate. I will have the pleasure of undoing what Time has worked so hard to keep from you."

"What are you talking about? I am…"

"You are in need of a catalyst to remember the past!" The man leapt forward raising his hand into the air. A luminescent red glow erupted from his outstretched arm and an ornate katana gradually appeared from the light. The hilt of the sword appeared first, carrying various hieroglyphic-like engravings. The smoke silver blade quickly appeared after, swiftly cutting through the air in the direction of Time Guardian.

Luckily, Pluto had been waiting for him to strike. She promptly angled her staff to deflect the vertical slash bearing down on her. Her eyes met his for the briefest of moments. Garnet eyes met eerily similar garnet eyes.

Pluto braced for the imminent blow expecting the shrill sound of metal clashing and the force of the katana's strike. Nothing happened. The blade never made contact with the staff. Centimeters from touching, the katana was retracted and a knee was aimed at Pluto's stomach.

The hit was powerfully precise, lifting Pluto a few inches off of the ground and allowing her staff to clatter to the floor. An attempt to finish her off with a horizontal slice was narrowly evaded as Pluto rolled off his knee, landing with her back on the floor. Her eyes widened as she gasped for air, the pain threatening to overtake her body.

Relentless in his attack, he quickly ended his slash and began a downward motion with the butt of the katana's hilt.

Mustering all her strength, Pluto rolled away from the attack. She barely had enough time to shield her body with her arms before the katana made contact with the ground. The force of his steel against the tile of the floor blasted debris in all directions; a small jagged piece flew past Pluto's face, drawing blood under her left eye.

There was no doubt that her enemy was strong. Pluto had to find an opening soon or else she would be quickly dispatched. While silently rising to her feet, the guardian found her opening.

Pluto lunged towards her enemy while he recovered in a crouch from the forceful blow to the ground. The Time Staff teleported into her hands with a blinding flash of light as she swung diagonally towards him. She hoped that he would block her attack. She needed this to work.

The sound of metal against metal echoed through the Time Portal's mists. The blood on the staff whipped off its surface as the staff came into contact with the blade. The airborne drops of blood flew towards the man, staining his hair and forehead with spots of maroon.

Quickly angling the staff with the blade, the katana began slipping down the slick surface of the staff. As the blade reached Pluto's leading knuckle holding onto the staff, she dodged to the side of the man, pushing the blade away. Unable to change the course of the katana, the blade sliced downward into the ground. Recoiling the staff, Pluto then vertically slashed the wrists of the man, forcing him to release his weapon.

The katana fell to the floor, bouncing from the blade tip to the butt of the hilt before resting on the floor. An emerald sigil on the handle instantly caught Pluto's eye. Reflecting the light from the mists, she clearly saw the shape of the character in her peripheral vision. The capital P with an overlaid capital L was unmistakable.

"Nani?" Pluto backed away from the man, eyes wide as if seeing a ghost. "Who are you? How did you get…"

"A very clever move. I see that you have retained some of you skill." The man stood up taking a handkerchief out of his pocket. While patting the blood off his forehead, Pluto noticed another sigil of Pluto sewn on the corner of the cloth.

"How did you get these?" Pluto questioned as she adjusted her hold on the staff. New blood had begun to flow from the wound on her hand.

Neatly placing the handkerchief back into his pocket, the man calmly answered, "You shouldn't have backed away from me."

"Answer my question!" Pluto shouted but her demand went unanswered. As soon as her last word left her mouth, she found that she had trouble breathing. There was also a great pressure against her stomach and a warmth that seemed to be spreading throughout her midsection.

Pluto's vision had also become obstructed by something dark. What she had thought was a black uniform had turned out to be a very deep shade of forest green. The fabric felt soft against her arms, almost like silk. Why did all this seem familiar to her? His uniform. This embrace.

It was then that the guardian noticed the Time Staff nestled close to her chest. She didn't even have to time to drop it. Her hands were still grasping securely onto its slippery surface.

It felt all too surreal for Pluto. In an instant, he had traveled the distance between the both of them and had struck her. Now she was in his strong hold. She wouldn't be able to break away or fall to the ground. "How?" Pluto barely whispered.

The man retracted his knife from the rapidly spreading stain of red appearing on Pluto's stomach. The staff dematerialized into the ether as Pluto's arms fell limp. Her body slowly began to relax in his embrace.

Holding Pluto closer to him, he gently kissed her forehead. "Remember. Remember what happened."

Pluto could see the out croppings of her vision fading to black as her head began to lull and lean on the man's chest. The last image she saw before she collapsed into his arms was of Sailor Chibi Moon running towards her. The peaceful darkness then greeted her, relieving her of all her senses.

_Another chapter completed. I have a lot to explain in later chapters, ne? Like always, if you can, please review. I'm accepting flames and all. Now to work, edit, edit, edit, and edit the next chapter._

_Just in case people need to know: daijobu? – Are you alright, onii-san – brother, hisashiburi – It's been awhile/a long time._


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